Harvest Moon: Save The Homeland
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland is a farming simulator game developed by Victor Interactive Software and Published by Natsume. It is the first Harvest Moon game to appear on Playstation 2. Story The story starts with the player reading a letter from his dad asking him to take care of his grandfather's farm. Upon arrival, the player encounters the Harvest Sprites, who are busily discussing ways on how to prevent the village from becoming a theme park. Since the player is able to see them, they request for his help. Upon acceptance, the Harvest Goddess will arrive and introduce herself. After a series of questions to evaluate the player's nature, she will then convince the player to take it upon himself to save the village, and advise him to befriend the villagers. The following day, you will be visited once more by the Harvest Sprites, who will explain to the player how farming works, the important places around the farm and other useful advise. After their explanation, the sprites will bid the player good luck before leaving. At this point, control is fully given to the player and it is up to him to figure out how to save the village. Gameplay Save the Homeland is similar in many aspects to other Harvest Moon titles. However, there are also many differences. Most notable is the fact that you have a time limit. You have one year (until the end of Winter) to save the village through one of nine different ways. Befriending certain villagers will begin a storyline that will eventually lead to the salvation of the village. Though several storylines can be followed through at once, the first one completed will result in ending the game. After the village is saved and after the credits roll, the player is prompted to save a game file which will mark the completion of one storyline. Upon reloading, the player will begin once more from Spring 1, with his relationships with the villagers reset, allowing him to do another storyline. The player will get to keep his animals and crops, but not upgraded tools. There are only four available crops for planting. These crops can be grown during any season, and different seasons will only affect their speed of growth. There is also no shipping bin in this game, meaning the player has to sell what he finds in shops around the village. Each shop will only accept specific kinds of items. Four animals can be raised in this game, namely the dog, horse, cow and chicken. Unlike most other Harvest Moon titles, Save the Homeland is particularly sensitive to the welfare of animals. In the event of an animal's death, a dramatic cutscene will occur and force the player to refrain from working on that day in order to reflect on himself. The death of an animal will impact your relationship with some villagers, though most of them will console you should you talk to them the following day. There is no marriage in Save the Homeland. However, there are several bachelorettes around the village that can be romanced as part of storylines associated with them. Upon completion of a particular storyline, a final romantic event will occur with the girl after the credits roll. Characters Hero The silent protagonist of the game. He is similar in appearance to the protagonist of earlier Harvest Moon titles. The notable difference between him and the other main characters is the word "TOY" written in red letters above the brim of his cap and brown ponytail swishing behind him as he walks. The hero is tasked by the Harvest Goddess to save the village from being turned into an amusement park by the end of the year. Despite the fact that the villagers know of about the Goddess and legends about her, only the hero can see her, along with the Harvest Sprites. This often puts him in humorous situations because when he speaks with either the Goddess or the sprites, it will look as though he is talking to himself to the other villagers. Because he can not speak, he converses with other characters using hand gestures and facial expressions. He does have some sort of monologue when observing certain things on his own. Harvest Goddess The Harvest Goddess is the deity that watches over the village. Despite what her names may suggest, she does not usually act very goddess-like and her powers do not always work. She can be quite cheery and sometimes whimsical and girly. She has long, curly purple hair, an elegant looking dress and fairy wings on her back. She also wears a bracelet that spins constantly on her left wrist. She lives in a pond connected to the large lake in the village and can be summoned by throwing items into her pond. When summoned she offers some assistance using her powers, but like what was said earlier, she does not always succeed. She refuses to work on rainy days and will become grouchy if you summon her late at night. She usually shares trivia with the player when summoned after her 'working hours'. She loves vegetables and will happily accept any crops you grow. The Harvest Sprites Nic, Nak and Flak are the three Harvest Sprites who the player meets at the beginning of the game. They usually offer good advice about farming and the villagers. They have also left helpful notes in various places around the village. Nic is the most regular-looking sprite, with a red outfit. Nak is the smallest of the group, and wears a blue outfit with sleeves too long for his arms. Flak is the largest of the sprites. He wears a yellow outfit and loves to eat. Though usually holed up in a cave next to the player's barn, the player may meet them wandering around the village on certain hours. They are also involved in some humorous cutscenes where they talk to the player. The sprites love mushrooms which grow during the fall. Bob Bob is the owner of the Brownie Farm. Though he looks intimidating, he is actually quite warm, especially to his younger brother Tim. He loves animals and he can sell the player cows and chickens to raise at his farm. He also offers the player a part-time job that involve caring for his animals. He minds the Farmer's Store from 8 AM to 5 PM before heading back to his house. On Thursdays, when the shop is closed, he hangs around the pasture where his horses are for most of the morning. He then heads to the bar some time afternoon and stays there for quite a while. In spite of how he looks, Bob loves sweets. Dia Dia is an introverted young girl living at the mansion along with her maids Martha and Gina. At first, she can be quite cold to the player, but will eventually open up if the player manages to befriend her. She always speaks in a formal manner and loves to read books. She wears a mostly-green dress and wears back her short black hair with a headband. She usually stays inside her mansion but walks around outside the mansion from late morning to sometime afternoon. Dia likes sweets but loves blueberries even more. She will admit this embarrassedly when given these gifts. Gina Gina is one of the maids working at Dia's mansion. She is very shy and but she is passionate when it comes to her work. She wears a typical maid outfit and a black ribbon on top of her head. She also wears a pair of round eyeglasses. Her hair is braided and light blue in color. Gina usually stays at the mansion but stays around near the Grocery Store on some mornings. Gwen Gwen is a strong young woman unafraid to speak her mind. Despite her tomboyish attitude, she can be sweet to the people she like. She lives with her grandfather Woody at the Carpenter's House near the player's farm. Gwen stays at the Carpenter's House on most days, presumably minding the shopping list. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she hangs around the Brownie Farm until afternoon. At night, she can usually be found just hanging around the Carpenter's House. Gwen loves sweets, especially fruit jam. Joe Joe is one of the apprentices working under Woody. He has a cheery attitude, in contrast to his fellow apprentice Kurt. He is also very sociable and loves talking to girls. Joe loves to fish despite the fact that he is not very good at it. He is most recognized by the blue spotted kerchief he wears around his head and his usually wide-mouthed cheery expression. Joe works near the Carpenter's House on most mornings. If not there, he is usually fishing at Maple Lake. He does this even on rainy days. At night, he usually stays at the Bar. Joe loves fish dishes, and will gladly accept when offered them. He will thank the player when given medium fish, but reacts negatively when the player tries to give him large fish since it will seem as though the player is insulting his fishing skills. He also hates yogurt. Katie Katie is the youngest and probably the girliest girl in the village. She has a cheerful and friendly demeanor. She loves baking and works at her grandfather's cafe during the day. She is found at the cafe during the day. When it the cafe becomes a bar at night, she moves to her room. Katie likes receiving the base ingredients used for baking like eggs but when offered pastries and other sweets she will take that as a challenge against her baking skills. Kurt Kurt is one of the apprentices working under Woody. In contrast to his fellow apprentice Joe, he is very stoic and difficult to talk to. He seems to love gardening. He is characterized by his matching camo pants and bandana and spiky brown hair. He always wears a serious expression on his face. Kurt usually works at Woody's shack on most mornings. On his break days, he hangs around the Flower Shop. Kurt likes tomatoes. He is indifferent to most other gifts however. Louis Louis is an inventor who lives next to Lyla's Flower Shop and the one minding the Tool Shop. He is hardworking but shy, being unable to admit his feelings to Lyla. He has disheveled black hair and wears eyeglasses and a lab coat. The player can buy tools from him and can sell him ores and other thing dug up at the farm. Louis is also skilled at playing the flute. Louis minds his store from 10 AM to 5 PM and retires to his room after working hours. On his break days he hangs around the Carpenter's House or near Maple Lake. Lyla Lyla is the owner of the flower shop. She is characterized by her long pink hair decorated with flowers, permanently closed eyes and smiling expression. Though always smiling, this does not mean she is not angry. The player can buy seeds from her and sell flowers and fruits to her. Lyla just usually minds her store during the day before retiring to her room after hours. On holidays, she goes to the cafe. Lyla likes flowers, but most especially pink-cat flowers that grow during the Summer. Martha Martha is one of the maids working at Gina's mansion. She is fond of Dia and treats her like her own granddaughter. She wears a typical maid outfit and has light blue hair similar to Gina's. Parsley Parsley is a Plant Hunter traveling around the world in search of rare flora. He appears to be quite mild-mannered. He wears a green brimmed hat and always carries around a backpack. Parsley wanders around the village every day. He stays at the bar until late at night. Among the villagers, he appears to be the one who stays up the most. He is staying with Ronald at the Grocery Store, presumably before going on his next expedition. Parsley likes plants and herbs. He especially appreciates Pontata Roots. Ronald Ronald is the dark-skinned owner of the grocery store. He is notable as he is the first villager the player meets. He is always seen wearing an apron. The player can buy cooking ingredients from him and sell crops to him. Ronald minds his store from 9 AM to 5 PM on most days. On Sundays, when he does not work, he walks around just outside the Grocery Store. He heads to the Bar when it is nearing sundown. Tim Tim is Bob's adventurous younger brother. He is always decked in explorer gear and loves to wander around town, causing his older brother to worry. Tim is the only child in the village. Tim does chores outside the Grocery Store on most mornings, but explores around Maple Lake when he is not working. He stays at home on rainy days. Tim loves eggs, and is especially appreciative of Golden Eggs. Wallace Wallace is the owner of the bar/cafe next to the lake in the village. He loves his granddaughter Katie very much. Wallace stays in the cafe/bar most of the time, but sometimes goes out to breathe the fresh air on early mornings. The Cafe is open from 10 to 5, but becomes a Bar at 6 PM to midnight. He does not work on Mondays. Woody Woody is Gwen's protective grandfather. A carpenter by trade, he is the one who will expand the player's house. Woody is characterized by his green bandana and red jacket. He also always keeps his arms folded. He has two apprentices working under him, namely Joe and Kurt. Woody just watches his apprentices work on most days, meaning he is usually next to his shack, but goes to the bar during the evening because he loves to drink wine. Animal List The following is a list of animals you can own in Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland with a short description of each. Dog The dog is one way this Harvest Moon is different from the rest. Unlike the other Harvest Moons, you don't automatically own a dog. You have to befriend a dog in the village by leaving food in the dog food dish in your front yard. There are two different types of dogs, the usual 'Harvest Moon Dog' with floppy ears and a Husky-looking dog. The HM dog has a red bandana on his neck and the new one has a blue bandana. The one with the red is easier to befriend than the one with the blue. Once you have befriended the dog, you can pick it up and it will give you the option to keep it and if you pick yes, you will be able to name it, and if you pick no, you will just put it down. The dog has little use at first. The player can only feed it and pick him up to show to villagers. To keep the dog from getting sick, you have to carry it inside your house when it is expected to rain the next day. When a dog house is built, the player will not need to do this. The dog is very useful once its affection is high enough as it can be trained with the flute. A trained dog can follow you around, jump over fences, or even herd cows back to the barn. A friendly dog responds more often to flute commands and runs faster, and will be able to keep up with you as you run. A dog at max affection will still not be able to keep up with a horse galloping at full speed. Horse When Bob is befriended by the player, he will come one morning to the farm bringing a horse. He will task you with taking care of the horse in preparation for an upcoming race. Ar first, the horse will refuse to let you ride. After a while however, a scene will occur one morning where the horse will let you ride him. He will only trot slowly however, making it impractical to use him to get around town. Soon, another scene will occur where the horse will finally like you enough for him to run while you are riding him. From this point on, riding the horse around town is much faster than just walking. Cow Cows can be bought from Bob. Like in other Harvest Moon titles, cows produce milk. The player can get more cows either by buying more from Bob or impregnating an adult cow with a Cow Miracle Potion. Pregnant cows will not produce milk. Cows can be left outside to feed on grass in the pasture. When kept inside the barn, cows must be fed with fodder obtained from cutting grass with the sickle. Happy cows may produce Golden Milk. Chicken Chickens can be bought from Bob. Though your first chicken has to be bought from Bob, all subsequent ones need not to be since you can hatch eggs in the incubator in your chicken coop. Like every other HM game, chicken produce eggs. Eggs can be used for cooking or given as gifts. Chickens must be fed everyday by placing chicken feed in their respective feed trays unless they are left outside. Chickens may produce Golden Eggs if their affection is high enough. Notes Like other Harvest Moon titles, using certain tools on any of the animals will reduce their affection rating and make them unhappy. Interacting with them (except for chickens) while they are asleep will also reduce their affection rating. When animals become sick, the player can cure them with medicine bought from Bob. Doing so will reduce their affection rating. Animals left sick for too long will die. Sequel :A sequel is in development titled Harvest Moon: Sugar Village and Everyone's Wish. It was released in Japan, and it is planned to be released late 2009/early 2010 in America. Category:Games